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The Passersby
"The Passersby" is an episode of the The Twilight Zone. Episode Details Opening Narration "This road is the afterwards of the Civil War. It began at Fort Sumter, South Carolina, and ended at a place called Appomattox. It's littered with the residue of broken battles and shattered dreams. In just a moment, you will enter a strange province that knows neither North nor South, a place we call - The Twilight Zone." Episode Summary At the end of the Civil War a Confederate Army Sergeant (James Gregory), apparently wounded in battle, walks down a road aided by a wooden crutch. He carries with him a dirty bed roll and an old guitar. As the Sergeant limps along he sees a house. Once beautiful, the house and yard show obvious signs of the war; there is debris in the yard, and a large, dead tree stands in front of the house. It had once provided shade for its owners; now it stands there as evidence of the former beauty of the property. This is the house of Lavinia Godwin (Joanne Linville), whose husband has gone off to fight in the war. The Sergeant, seeking water and a place to rest, receives permission from Lavinia to refresh himself at the well, and then to sit on a bench under the dead tree. The Sergeant plays his guitar, singing a song that Lavinia identifies as one that her husband used to sing. They talk while he plays the guitar, and watch as the steady stream of soldiers, both Union and Confederate, pass by the house and continue on down the road. The Sergeant learns that Lavinia has been very ill, and that Lavinia's husband has died; he was killed in the war. The Sergeant and Lavinia interact with others who are traveling on the road, soldiers whose conversations and behavior imply that they are more than just wounded men. The Sergeant begins to realize that this is not a normal road, and these are not just wounded soldiers. He tells Lavinia that there is something down at the end of the road, and that he has to find out what it is. As the Sergeant turns to leave Lavinia moves in front of him, and tries to persuade him to stay. Suddenly they hear a man's voice singing a familiar song. The man is Lavinia's husband, Jud. Jud tells her that everyone on that road is indeed dead - including her. Lavinia refuses to believe that it is true. Jud tells her that there is nothing left for him in that house. Insisting that she is alive, Lavinia pleads with Jud to stay. Jud refuses, and disregarding her pleas he leaves. As he leaves, Jud tells Lavinia that he will be waiting for her at the end of the road. Lavinia cries out to her husband, imploring him to stay. Dropping to her knees on the now deserted road, she begs Jud to come back. Then she hears a soft voice speaking to her in greeting; it is a lone passerby, Abraham Lincoln. He tells her that he is the last man on that road. Frightened, Lavinia backs away from him. Finally though, she accepts her fate, and runs to join her husband, who can now be seen waiting for her at the end of the road, shrouded in fog. Lavinia joins her husband there, and they walk into the fog. They are followed by Lincoln, who walks slowly toward the end of the road...the last casualty of the Civil War. Closing Narration "Incident on a dirt road during the month of April, the year 1865. As we've already pointed out, it's a road that won't be found on a map, but it's one of many that lead in and out of the Twilight Zone." Preview for Next Week's Story Next week, we engage in a game of pool that's both an activity and a title, a play written by George Clayton Johnson and starring Mr. Jack Klugman and Mr. Jonathan Winters. It's the story about the best pool player living and the best pool player dead. And this one, we submit, will stay with you for quite a while. Next week on The Twilight Zone, "A Game of Pool". Production Companies *Cayuga Productions *Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS) (in association with) Distributors *Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS) (1959) (USA) (TV) (original airing) External Links *http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0734671/